This invention relates to dispensing liquids.
It is often desirable to administer a liquid medicine to treat a disease (e.g., an infection, inflammation, or glaucoma); to administer water or a buffered fluid to lubricate an eye, whether or not it is covered with a contact lens; or to administer water or a buffered fluid to irrigate an eye that has been contacted with a harmful agent, such as an acid or alkali.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,526 relates to a plastically deformable bottle having a target and a lens to aid in positioning the bottle near the eye. Embodiments further include a clip for securing the flexible tube, and a tube which is fixed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the bottle. A related application issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,327 which relates to a bottle which includes a tube extending into and out of the bottle. The external portion of the tube is flexible and extends at an acute angle to the axis of the bottle, thereby allowing a person to administer liquids to his eye without tipping his head. A cushion pad is molded as part of the bottle to prevent accidental injury to the eye from the tip of the external portion of the tube.